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Writer's pictureSetrida Chikwense

Now That We Are Angry

According to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship Services, Lu ke, also known as Susu, has been arrested in Zambia. We came to know of Susu through a BBC Africa documentary which alleged that Susu is behind a video that has been circulating on Chinese social media since 2020. In this video, a group of African children who happen to be Malawians are seen chanting self-demeaning phrases in Chinese; the chants were interpreted to mean, “I am a black Monster with a low IQ”. The video is said to have been an income generating scheme by those involved.


Everyone who saw the video was outraged by the exploitation and demanded that Susu be held accountable. Everyone's rage was fueled after the Chinese embassy issued a statement that many interpreted as a backhanded attempt to appease enraged Malawians. Now that Susu has been arrested, what's the worst that's going to happen to him once he makes bail? because a lot of his kind have gotten away with worse than he has done.


But my question is when will we become enraged at foreigners like Susu who continue to exploit Malawians on a daily basis, and go unpunished in this country? Susu is one of a large number of foreigners who come to this country to take advantage of us and most likely to get away with it.


Almost everyone who has worked for an Asian-owned company has had a bad time. Low pay, long hours, and a hostile work environment are all factors. Everyone, including top movement officials, is aware of this, as I recall a member of parliament raising the issue in parliament. But like most things in this country, that was the end of it.


I have had the misfortune of working at such kind of a company where employees were treated as less human. Attempts were made to notify responsible bodies of what was going on at the company, but alas until today, employees go through the same treatment a lot of us went through. The only remedy at escaping this abuse is quitting, which isn’t a viable option for most people.


Many people, like those children, are let down in their own country, particularly the poor, who have no choice but to endure abuse directed at them. Just check the news archives, several allegations of abuse have been made in the past against Asian working sites, projects, or companies across the country, but no real action has been taken. We've seen government officials or pro-human-rights non-governmental organizations go out to "investigate" and then not hear from them again until something similar occurs, a cycle which gets us to where we were before.


Yes, we have all the right to be angry at Susu but what about the rest of them who continue to exploit us on a daily basis? What then?



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